Clean-up operations following coastal oil spills may become complex with respect to handling the information necessary to keep all parts of the organisation updated on the situation and in line with recent developments. After the “M/S Server” struck aground off the island of Fedje, Norway on Friday 12th. of January 2007, and initially spilling 290 tonnes of bunker oil, the weather conditions caused the oil to break up into many small slicks and polluting a high number of shoreline segments. The weather conditions continued to prevent the safe survey of several polluted positions, further complicating the task of creating a full overview of the situation. The 201 positions of the polluted segments involved 13 municipalities, 2 counties and 3 different Regional Pollution Combat Groups as well as the overall management by the Norwegian Coastal Authorities. Surveying of segments, prioritisation, and follow-up of progress involves both practical operational and scientific judgements, and creates paperwork. Both expert groups and on-site operative personnel will carry out surveys and report, and also need information for making decisions. Finding the right amount of data and level of detail to collect requires a common understanding of information needs, as well as the use of common forms. With the goal of reducing the overall time spent on reporting by collecting data centrally and providing a common site to stay informed, a data-based system for handling of information from shoreline clean-up operations was developed in the early days of the operation, as part of a cooperation project between The Norwegian Coastal Authority and NOFO on experience sharing and standardisation of information flow. An internet map service provided a common map of the positions and access to web-reports. Field equipment using semi-rugged PCs and mobile solutions was tried out. This paper focuses on the operational benefits and challenges of updating and coordinating information flow using a common web-based system, in an area where several different reporting procedures and forms had been previously used. Experience is shared with respect to making the system work as a useful true-time tool and not only as a hind-sight database.
How can we continuously develop and improve large scale emergency preparedness, such as oil spill response, in times of low oil prices, budget cuts and downsizing? NOFO (Norwegian Clean Seas Association For Operating Companies) has found its path, through modernization and cooperation. When there are spills of crude oil from the petroleum industry at the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) NOFO will perform the oil spill response (OSR) on behalf of the owner of the spill, in practical terms becoming the company’s OSR branch during the incident. NOFO was founded in 1978, as a response to the large blowout at the Bravo field the previous year. Focus on offshore OSR technology and combat strategies has been the main motivation during our almost 40 year’s existence. The last decade has included a significant improvement in our competence and training on near-shore and beach OSR, simultaneously maintaining the unique offshore segment. As part of improving NOFO capacity within large scale, and / or long duration spill situations (e.g. Macondo), NOFO have embraced and implemented ICS (Incident Command System), thus improving our capabilities and capacities through the whole range from offshore to shoreline OSR. Through 2015 and 2016 ICS training and ICS adaptions of previous organizational systems has been prioritized, and new ones have been developed. NOFO personnel have participated in numerous training sessions and exercises with our member companies (operators on the Norwegian continental shelf) nationally and internationally. Through strategic choices of planning and collaboration both internally in NOFO and between NOFO and the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA), Global Response Network (GRN), other oil spill Response Organizations (OSROs) and cooperating partners, the number of exercises has increased, the value and output of exercises is improved, and thus the capacity and capability of NOFOs whole range OSR in improved. At the same time, on behalf of our members, NOFO have consumed less money year after year. NOFO is developing and improving our proven OSR capacity and competence, from offshore to shoreline, through increased efficiency, high focus on exercise training, and cooperation with other OSR agencies.
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